Alabama

Alabama shortstop Mikey White snags a grounder and starts a decisive double play by flipping the ball to Kyle Overstreet for an out during the SEC Baseball Tournament Tuesday, May 21, 2013, at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

View full sizeAlabama's Mikey White watches Kyle Overstreet force Auburn's Cullen Wacker out at second and relay to first base for the double play during the SEC Baseball Tournament Tuesday, May 21, 2013, at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

HOOVER, Alabama - Call this "Glove Story." Alabama's 6-3 come-from-behind victory over Auburn on Tuesday was a gripping tale of two ground balls up the middle.

Consequently, Alabama won the Southeastern Conference Tournament play-in game at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. It advances to double-elimination play and will meet second-seeded and second-ranked LSU on Wednesday in a game that will start 30 minutes after a 9:30 a.m. CDT game ends.

Relief pitcher Jay Shaw and designated hitter Chance Vincent were two unexpected stars for Alabama in a rally from a 3-1 deficit, but leather really made the difference.

In the bottom of the eighth, Auburn second baseman Jordan Ebert was unable to make a play on a ball hit by Vincent that went down as a game-winning infield single.

White's play came with runners on first and second and one out. Garrett Cooper bounced a two-hopper that was on its way to center field, but White dived behind second base and gloved the ball. He flipped the ball underhanded straight from his glove to second baseman Kyle Overstreet, who took the ball barehanded as he touched second base, then relayed to first for a second out that wasn't even close.

"When I saw Mike lay out, I wasn't sure he was going to get to it," said Alabama right-fielder Ben Moore, who had two hits, scored two runs and drove in one. "Then I saw him get his glove on it. When he flipped it with his glove, I started going crazy.

"It's exciting to see those two work together all year. That play kind of sums up what they can do in the middle, an they're exciting to watch."

"Honestly, I've seen them make that play before," he said. "I've seen them make some even more difficult than that. They're comfortable with uncomfortable plays."

In the eighth inning, Vincent came up with the bases and one out. He failed in that exact situation in the sixth inning, forcing a runner out at home with a check-swing tap to the pitcher.

The second time, Vincent hit a grounder up the middle. Ebert was moving to his right and had to reach to his left. He got his glove on the ball but could do nothing more than knock it down as the go-ahead run scored.

"I knew I had to get the job," said Vincent, a designated hitter and No. 9 batter who came into the game hitting .208. "The first time, bases loaded, I didn't get the job done. I saw it happening. I was running as fast as I could to make sure I was going to make it to first base."

Vincent was batting .158 a week ago, but he has seven hits in his past 15 at-bats.

"The thing with Vince, he's hitting .208, but he hit .545 last week at Vanderbilt and was the SEC Freshman of the Week, so he's been hot," Gaspard said of the freshman from Scott, La. "I have a lot of confidence in him, and he's going to be a great player for us. It was one of those critical points in the game. Obviously, we were excited the ball popped out of the glove and we were able to go up."

Austen Smith started the rally with a one-out single, his third hit of the game. He went to third on a hit-and-run double by Brett Booth off Auburn reliever Terrance Dedrick. Andrew Miller was walked intentionally for a second time to load the bases.

Why not? Most teams get solid production out of their designated hitters.

"We've really scuffled in the DH spot this year," Gaspard said.

Alabama's designated hitters had been hitting .180 before Vincent got hot at Vanderbilt.

"I trusted the kid that he was going to be able to find the barrel and move the ball," Gaspard said. "He's one of the tougher kids we've got."

That hit and two runs that followed on a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch made a winner out of Shaw (2-1), who held the Tigers to four hits while shutting them out for five innings. It was only his 12th appearance of the season and his fourth in SEC competition. Previously, his longest outing was 3 1/3 innings.

"Definitely that last inning, I had to dig a little deep," the sophomore from Pinson said. "My teammates were behind me, and I just put it all out there."

Gaspard, who will start senior right-hander Charley Sullivan on Wednesday and sophomore right-hander Spencer Turnbull on Thursday, turned to Shaw after starter Justin Kamplain felt the heat after allowing three runs on four hits in three innings.

"Jay's been pitching well," Gaspard said. "I think he's given up one run in his past 15 innings. He's been more of a two-inning type guy. Once he got through two innings, I was a little concerned where he was going to be ... with velocity and command, but he stayed at it."

It helped that Shaw was backed up by White.

"The ball goes past me and I see Mikey dive out," Shaw said of the decisive play. "I know he has a chance at it. He flips it up and Kyle makes a quick turn. All year, it's no different than what we've seen. We see these guys every day in practice, and they're some of the best in the league.